


Smoke and Dreams

by generalatomicsgalleria (charmingotter)



Series: The Companions Are All Falling In Love [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Language, enjoy, this is straight up fluff my friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 13:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7316314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmingotter/pseuds/generalatomicsgalleria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>MacCready realizes he's in love with her when he starts dreaming of her every night and can't get her off his mind. Eventually, after a lot of drinks, he works up the courage to tell her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Weird Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so this is based off of a companions react I wrote here: http://generalatomicsgalleria.tumblr.com/post/145747803293/i-love-fluff-so-i-wanna-know-what-the-companions
> 
> Also side note: This is part of a series, I'll be doing a fic like this for all the companions. And also, Sole's name in this one is Elvira, just in case that wasn't obvious.

A cloud of smoke drifted towards him slowly. He eyed the woman who had blown it at him. Elvira grinned at him, stubbing out her cigarette gently on the edge of the table. “You know, before I met you, I never used to smoke,” she told him.

“Is that so?” He raised an eyebrow. “Cause I’m pretty sure I remember you chain smoking in the Third Rail when we met,” he said.

In fact, he was certain she had been smoking when they met. He could remember the hazy cloud of smoke that had surrounded her, the smell that had clung to her for hours afterwards, and the lazy way she had blown smoke at him even then .

“I don’t recall,” she shrugged, not looking at him now. 

MacCready snorted. “Sure, Boss.” If she wanted to blame him for her smoking so be it. As long as he was getting paid, she could blame him for whatever the hell she wanted. It didn’t matter to him. Flicking his own cigarette off into the dirt, he asked, “Where we headed next then, Boss?”

She chewed on her lip thoughtfully. Distractingly, he thought. He liked her mouth and it distracted him way too often. Even when it was making fun of him. He chalked it up to the fact that he had been alone for so long. It’s not like he had a crush on her or anything. That would be ridiculous. And stupid on his part to be sure. He knew better than to start caring about people. 

“I dunno. I need ammo,” she said quietly, interrupting his thoughts. Elvira sighed, looking sadly down at her 44. that laid on the table. “Used up everything I had on those ghouls earlier.” She shrugged. “Think I could get a better price with Arturo or KL-E-0?”

“KL-E-0,” he answered immediately. “But Diamond City is closer.”

Elvira hummed, tapping her fingers on the tabletop slowly. Something he knew by now meant she was planning something in her head. Their travel route probably. Still, it made him curious. He wished he knew how that mind of hers worked. Elvira was a planner. She planned all day. She never did so out loud, or even on paper, but he always knew when she was planning. She tapped on things and her nose scrunched up. He watched her now, waiting for that nose scrunch….And there it was. He smiled.

After sitting there wiggling her nose for a bit she looked over at him again. “It’s too late to be walking all the way to Goodneighbor. We’ll head to Diamond City and sleep there for tonight and head to Goodneighbor tomorrow,” she told him decidedly. 

He nodded. Fine by him. 

 

By the time they finally got to Home Plate they were both exhausted. Elvira looked at him miserably. “Mac, I know it’s your turn to sleep in the bed, but please,” she whined, giving him that look she always gave him when she wanted something. “I hate that couch,” she said. 

He sighed, knowing he had already lost the moment she had given him that look. “Fine,” he said, “I’ll take the couch. Again.” He threw himself down on said couch, only vaguely annoyed. There were far worse places to sleep. “You need to build some more freaking beds for this place, El,” he mumbled into the cushions. 

“I know,” she groaned, the stairs squeaking under her weight as she made her ascent up to bed. He thought he heard her saying something else but he was already falling asleep by then. 

 

“Elvira.” He woke with her name on his lips. Blinking into the darkness, fragments of his dreams came back to him. Soft kisses on warm skin. Hands pulling clothes off. His own voice saying her name over and over and over. Her voice saying, ‘I love you.’ He blushed and was suddenly glad it was so dark. 

Sitting up he squeezed his eyes shut again. “What the fuck?” He whispered into the dark, letting himself break his swear rule just a little. What was that? It would have been one thing if it had just been a sex dream, but...He shook his head, not wanting to think about it again. But he did. God, he did and he hated it. He hated that he could still her saying those words so clearly. And he hated how it made his heart race. 

You can’t do this again, he told himself. You can’t survive doing this again. Love is off the table. Forever. Not that that’s what this was anyway, he told himself stubbornly. It was just a dream. A weird dream. About someone you just happen to be fond of. Cause they pay you. 

‘Fuck feelings,’ he thought, flopping back down into the cushions, but feeling too annoyed with himself to go back to sleep now. 

It wasn’t twenty minutes until he heard Elvira creaking down the stairs. He squeezed his eyes shut when she started flipping lights on. “Get up, Mac. We’ve got places to be today. I just remembered I told Deacon I’d swing by HQ today. I think he said something about a mission, but I don’t remember.” When he opened his eyes she was standing in front of him. And pants-less. He blushed. Of course she was, he thought, because how else could the rest of his morning gone? 

“Don’t give me that look, Mac.” She pointed at him, grabbing her pants off the floor. “It get’s hot in here and you know it,” she defended herself as if he had actually said something.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the floor, trying not to think about his dream. Trying not to think about her legs wrapped around his waist. Trying not to think about her nails on digging into his shoulder when he had kissed her. Trying not to think about her voice in his ear saying, “I love you.” 

“And they’re just legs, so stop blushing,” she told him pointedly. 

“Right, Boss,” MacCready agreed, shaking his head. “Good morning to you to by the way,” he said, standing up. 

Elvira ignored him, checking over her weapons and such. “Alright, are we ready?”

“I was born MacReady,” he grinned, getting back into the swing of things now.

She groaned. “You gotta make that joke every time?” she asked. 

“Yes.”


	2. Drinking in The Third Rail

Magnolia sang softly, her hips swaying slightly with the music. She caught his eye and winked at him. Rolling his eyes he threw back another shot. He wasn’t drunk enough for this. Actually he was never drunk enough for anything he had to deal with anymore. 

The dreams wouldn’t stop. It was every night. It was driving him crazy. Because perhaps if had just been that one time, just that one dream; perhaps then it wouldn’t have been so bad. But he started dreaming of her every time he fell asleep. Every time he woke her name on his lips. The worst part was most of the dream weren’t even sexual. If they had all just been sex he could have made up a dozen excuses for them but...there just weren’t any excuses to be made for this. 

He had admitted it to himself. He was in love with her. And he hated it. He hated the way she could make him laugh even when he didn’t want to. He hated the way his heart almost stopped every time she got hurt in a fight and he held his breath to see if she got back up. He hated that wicked gleam she got in her eyes and the way it made his heart race. He hated that he couldn’t get her out of his head. 

He had to tell her, he knew. It was unavoidable at this point. If he didn’t tell her now, properly and how he wanted to, he was going to accidentally shout it at her in anger and frustration one day. Which wasn’t exactly something he wanted. It certainly wasn’t something she deserved. 

But that meant he actually had to tell her how he felt. He sighed, pouring himself another shot. “Where’s Elvira, Mac?” Hancock asked, dropping down into the chair beside him. 

MacCready sighed deeply. “Please leave me alone, Hancock.” He didn’t want to talk to anyone, not even Hancock.

Hancock just laughed. “Why ya drinking tonight, Mac? Tell me your woes,” he chuckled, lighting a cigarette.

The smell made him think of Elvira. He took another shot. When MacCready didn’t answer him, he asked, “Where’s Elvira at? She’s way more fun than you.” He grinned.

MacCready gave him a dark look. “She’s asleep at the Rexford,” he told him, ignoring his quip. 

Hancock grinned at him again. “You sound irritated, MacCready. What’s eatin’ you?”

Instead of answering he just took another shot and prayed Hancock would leave him alone. 

Hancock poked his ribs roughly. “I bet it has something to do with a certain someone who’s asleep at the Rexford right now,” he said, blowing smoke in MacCready’s face. 

MacCready sighed, putting his head down on the bar. “Hancock, I’m tired and almost drunk enough to sleep somewhat peacefully tonight; please, leave me alone.”

“I believe I’ve struck a chord.” Hancock laughed, delighted. He flicked at the ash on his cigarette, looking thoughtful. “Lemme guess….” He drawled.

“Please don’t,” MacCready practically begged, not looking up at him. 

“It has something to do with that beautiful mouth of hers, or maybe her hips, maybe her legs?” he asked, then paused, “No. No, you wouldn’t be in this much distress over a little sexual frustration,” he laughed and poked his ribs again. “No, you caught feelings,” Hancock sang, blowing smoke at him again. He laughed. 

Damn him. “Fuck feelings,” MacCready mumbled.

“Ooooh, you said a bad word. Don’t you have like a rule about that?” He grinned.

“Shut up,” he whined, finally picking his head up. “Please, just shut up, Hancock. Please, I’m begging you,” he said. “For once, just shut your mouth and let me drown myself in booze.” 

He went to pick up the bottle to pour himself another shot, only to have Hancock snatch it away. “Now, we both know that finishing off this bottle of vodka isn’t going to solve your problem,” he told MacCready. 

“I’ll give you all the money I have to shut the fuck up right now,” MacCready said, slurring his words slightly as he tried to get the bottle back.

Hancock held it out of reach. “I could find more caps on the bathroom floor than in your pockets, MacCready,” Hancock said, “And vodka isn’t the answer here.”

“Well, we won’t know unless we try,” MacCready said, still attempting to get the bottle back. 

Hancock laughed. “I commend your efforts to drown yourself in alcohol, but you’re never going to feel better like this. You’re gonna have to tell her the truth.” He gave MacCready a knowing look. “Trust me. I been there, done that.” 

MacCready sighed. “You think I don’t know that?” He whined. “I know what I have to do. I’m gonna tell her. It’s gonna be terrible and I’ll probably make a fool of myself, but I’m gonna do it. For now though, I want to drink. So, please,” he held his hand out, “give me the vodka back.”

Hancock hummed. “How’re you gonna tell her?”

“I don’t know,” he said, finally snatching the bottle from his hands. 

“You telling me you don’t have a plan?”

“I have a plan. The plan is drink until I feel better,” he said. Now he didn’t even bother with the glass, he just turned the bottle up. “Good plan, right?” He smiled grimly at Hancock.

“When’re you gonna do it?”

MacCready slammed the bottle down on the bar. “Why do you care?!” He shouted. “Why does any of this matter to you?!” He was sick of the questions. He wanted to drink and despair in peace dammit. 

Hancock slowly stubbed his cigarette out on the bar as if carefully considering his next words. “Call me old fashioned, but when someone is planning on telling one of my best friends they have feelings for them, I like to try and make sure they don’t fuck it up.” He shrugged. “Plus, this whole thing,” he gestured to MacCready and his vodka, “is very entertaining.” 

“Well, I’m glad you find my distress funny, Hancock,” he said, taking another swig from his bottle. 

Hancock just laughed. “Come on, I’m willing to help you out here. When are you gonna tell her?”

“Help me?” MacCready asked incredulously. Hancock nodded, apparently serious. MacCready raised an eyebrow. “How could you possibly help me?” He wasn’t even sure he wanted his help, he was just curious as to what he thought he could do for him. 

Hancock shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure but the offer stands,” he smiled. “I imagine there’ll be something you need help with.”

MacCready snorted. “You know what, when I do decide to do it, and if I need help, I’ll come find you.” He took one last, long drink from the bottle. “And now if you don’t mind, I’m going to find somewhere comfortable to pass out,” he said, standing up and shoving the bottle back into Hancock’s hands. 

Hancock just laughed, taking the bottle and chugging what was left in the bottle. “Light weight,” he called after him as MacCready trudged up the stairs of The Third Rail.


	3. She Walked In Covered In Blood

A week later MacCready took him up on his offer. “Ah, the hired gun graces us with his presence,” Hancock announced from where he was sprawled out on the couch. His “office” was a mess as per usual. MacCready eyed the scattered drugs paraphernalia for a moment before finally sitting down on the couch opposite Hancock. 

For a moment they were both silent. MacCready sighed. “I’m gonna tell her tonight,” he said, trying to sound casual and not at all nervous like he felt. 

“And you’re here to see me. That mean you need help with something?” He grinned, far too pleased with the thought. 

MacCready laughed, despite himself. “Yeah, actually. I need you to stay outta The Third Rail.” He didn’t want anybody, especially not Hancock, messing things up tonight. 

Hancock snorted. “I own the joint, I can be there if I want.” He said it lightly though, so MacCready stayed hopeful. “Why am I staying out of The Third Rail?” Hancock finally asked after a moment, sitting up. 

MacCready blushed. “That’s where I’m gonna tell her,” he said, his voice already shaky. Maybe he was being ridiculous, but he thought the place they had met would be a good place to do it. He had even made White Chapel Charlie reserve the table she had been sitting at when they met. 

Hancock nodded slowly. “Alright.” 

“That’s it? Just alright?” MacCready asked. He had expected more of a fight for this to be honest. 

He nodded again. “Just alright.” He shrugged. “And good luck.”

“You’re not offended that I’m asking you to stay out of your own bar?”

“Do you want me to be offended?”

“Well, no, but…” He trailed off. 

“Look, I said I would help. If me staying out of The Third Rail helps, then so be it,” he smiled. “Just don’t fuck it up,” he raised his knife pointedly at MacCready.

“Right, right,” MacCready said, nodding, trying to calm his nerves. God, this was going to be a disaster. “Umm, thanks,” he nodded to Hancock.

Hancock waved him away. “Don’t mention it, Mac. We’re good.”

 

Elvira walked in covered in blood. “Staring is rude, Mac,” she told him, plopping herself down in the chair across from him. “And close your mouth, Jesus.”

He closed it with a frown, he hadn’t even know it had popped open. “Why are you covered in blood, El?” She looked alright, he had decided, so it must be someone else’s blood. 

She raised a hand at Charlie, signalling for a drink. “I ran into some less than friendly raiders,” she said, looking up at him. “Could have used your help actually, what have you been doing all day that was so important anyhow?” 

He shrugged, trying to seem calm despite the fact that his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest. “Just some stuff,” he said, watching her hold a cigarette gently between her teeth as she tried to light it. “Bought some ammo, talked to Daisy….” he trailed off, watching her. 

Elvira nodded, her eyes flicking up to his. “Any news on Duncan?” She asked, giving him a gentle smile.

He blushed. That smile would be the death of him. “No, not yet,” he shook his head, looking down at his hands. Daisy told him he would get news soon though. It was tedious having to wait like this, but he knew he couldn’t do anything but wait.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Elvira said, her own hand covering his fidgeting ones. He looked up and she smiled again. “He’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

White Chapel Charlie brought over Elvira’s drink quietly enough, though he almost ended up spilling it on MacCready. Elvira just laughed, raising her glass to her lips. “Careful there, Charlie. He can get in a real tizzy when you spill drinks on him.” She grinned at him around her glass. 

He rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his own drink. When she lowered her glass she raised an eyebrow at him. “So, you said you wanted to talk about something….”she trailed off, shrugging. 

His heart stuttered. Oh God, he was actually doing this. “Uh, yeah, I uh…” He trailed off. A nervous laugh escaped suddenly, which made her lips quirk up on one side in amusement. 

“You seem really nervous, Mac,” Elvira told him, stubbing out her cigarette. “Is everything okay?”

He laughed nervously again. “Yeah. I’m fine. I’m fine,” he said it as if he were trying to convince himself. God, he was a mess. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. “Okay, yeah,” he said, keeping his eyes closed. “I wanted to talk about something.” He opened his eyes again, to find curious green eyes staring back at him. 

“Go ahead,” she nodded, reassuringly. 

He took a shaky breath. “I-I-I wanted to tell you that I uh, that I,” he sighed, looking down. “I think I’ve kinda, uh,” he laughed nervously, looking back up at her. “I’ve fallen in love with you,” he finally just burst out. And maybe just a little too loudly. Everyone was staring at them. 

Elvira blinked at him for a moment, blushing, before noticing the other people. Turning her gaze she glared at them all, “Do you mind?” She half shouted at them, before they would go back to minding their own business. 

She turned back to him and MacCready ducked his head, not wanting to look at anybody, but especially not her. He couldn’t imagine how this could have gone worse. “MacCready,” she spoke his name softly. 

Hesitantly, he picked his head up to look at her, afraid of what she would say. She laughed lightly. “Come here,” she said, leaning across the table suddenly. She grabbed him by his jacket and kissed him. He was too shocked to do anything but kiss her back. She tasted like blood and alcohol and cigarettes and he loved it. This was better than any dream he could have ever dreamt. 

When she finally leaned back, she smiled at him brilliantly. “You know, I think I’ve fallen in love with you too.” She laughed. “Have for a while now actually.” She shook her head. “Didn’t think you felt the same way about me though,” she admitted, blushing. 

He laughed. This was all more than he could have ever hoped for. He shook his head, “I can’t believe it, you love me. And I love you” he laughed, delighted. “And you love me,” he said again, sighing, beginning to wonder if this was another dream.

Elvira smiled shyly. “I do,” she said, leaning across the table to kiss him again. He smiled against her mouth. If this was a dream it was one he never wanted to wake up from.


End file.
